Oh yes. And we know it is severely underreported already!
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My D just told me that members of a local group she is in report that doctors in the area are prescribing antibiotics based on symptoms (outbreak area).
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Salad greens are the main suspect.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/13/well/eat/michigan-cyclospora-outbreak-lettuce-salad-greens.html
Sorry, no gift links.
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This should be a gift link:
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Today will be my first grocery shopping.
I did eat bagged romaine salad a week ago before this became news, I know the incubation period can be up to 2 weeks so I’m crossing my fingers.
I’m taking it seriously. All vegetables will be steamed, boiled or baked. Protein, starch
No fruit force but except canned. I did make a decent pasta salad this weekend with roasted cherry tomatoes and green and red peppers. I don’t like the tomatoes nearly as well as uncooked in a salad, but DH liked them better actually.
it’s all so annoying.
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We are taking a brief trip to SC and will buy peaches at a fruit stand (my favorite fruit). Will be wary of other fruit and will inquire who picks it all
Michigan has a very responsive public health department. More than 1,000 interviews have been completed with people diagnosed. Because of the long incubation time, it’s really hard to pinpoint the cause, but lettuce and salad greens are the foods most mentioned as having been consumed. The problem is that the source of the outbreak hasn’t been identified, and the method of contamination is unknown … the outbreak will continue until that happens.
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I will refer y’all again to that study on different washing techniques and cyclospora: https://cdn.blueberriesconsulting.com/2021/02/foods-10-00481.pdf
If you wash produce well — even raspberries — you can remove 90-99% of the icky stuff. No need to eliminate fresh fruit and veggies from your diet! Just wash really well.
My mama taught me to wash fresh greens in at least three changes of water. Follow what they did in the study and add in a vinegar and water wash and a little go round in the salad spinner and you should be good. I don’t eat bagged salad greens straight out the bag — don’t trust like that. We buy our greens fresh and local for the most part anyway.
People are just getting sick because they eat stuff they don’t wash well. I will skip the salad at the restaurant though because I can’t trust that they washed it as well as I would.
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That is your way of doing it and that is fine - it is ok for others to have different levels of comfort.
We could say to you that the majority of time you should eat bagged salad because it’s safe - after all many people eat it all the time and are fine! But you reserve and deserve the right to make your own comfort level.
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This is a change for me, because we eat salads and greens daily. I have been getting them at Aldi, for the most part, because it’s cost effective. In the summer, I get some of my salad fixings from the local farmers market, but TBH, I don’t like the time commitment for proper washing … I really prefer the quick “plop it in a bowl” method that pre-packaged salad/greens allows. I am now doing the more time consuming thing - and throwing away a portion of the lettuce as suggested (outer leaves) - because the possibility of cyclosporiasis is less appealing than the time spent prepping greens.
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Hmm… I wash berries, but I’m sure never as long as a minute.
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WaPo reported that Taco Bell is being scrutinized as a potential source of contamination.
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I’m just referring you to the science. It’s not my opinion.
I think Taco Bell is just being proactive, by eliminating some of its items. I had a Wendy’s salad 4 days before my first symptoms. Maybe most lettuces come from the same source.
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I am being cautious here - there’s been some reported activity in my state, and the last dang thing I need in my life right now is a multi-day (week?) bout of explosive GI troubles 
I have stopped buying fresh berries and reverted back to frozen for my daily yogurt fix. I have been buying nectarines and cherries, but washing them very thoroughly (with vinegar).
As for uncooked veggies, thankfully our tomato and cucumber plants are in high-production mode, at least for the next few weeks. Same with herbs (basil and cilantro). I’m not really sure what to do about salad greens…I normally buy the pre-washed tubs of spinach and arugula from Aldi. I will probably switch to heads of romaine, discard the outer leaves and do a similar vinegar wash on the interior.
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Vinegar does not kill this parasite or do anything beyond a through long wash in running water.
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Updated map on AOL shows cases in most states; ”the states colored in light green have the lowest numbers and increase to dark blue with the most cases.” Husband gets most produce at farmers markets and Whole Foods.
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But look up your state’s stats for region specific cases. Not all is widespread but in pockets.
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This would track with my son who got sick in Florida. He loves his Taco Bell.
I’m being careful at home. Stopped bagged salads. Tomatoes from our garden or a friend’s. Blueberries I pick myself at a local farm that I trust. Other produce from local markets plus most of it I cook - squash, corn. I worry about restaurants though. We’re about to go on vacation. I won’t order salads but probably won’t grill the server on what ingredients they use in their dishes.
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